Venice in the Details: Caffè Florian

 


Situated under the Procuratie Nuove of Piazza San Marco, Caffè Florian is Italy’s oldest café. Opened in 1720 by Floriano Francesconi under the name of Venezia Trionfante (Triumphant Venice), it soon became known as Caffè Florian by its patrons after being identified primarily with its personable owner. Each room is richly decorated with antiques, mirrors, gilding, and paintings. The café is famous for its rich history as a crossroads of art, culture, politics, and entertainment.

Frequented by illustrious clientele, Venetian noblemen would sit side by side with ambassadors, merchants, fortune hunters, and artists, but also the ordinary citizens of La Serenissima, which was the unofficial name for the Most Serene Republic of Venice.

Carlo Goldoni, a Venetian playwright most known for his comic play, Servant of Two Masters, entered the café for the first time in 1721 when he was 14. As a perceptive observer of social mannerisms, the varied assortment of people in the café fired his imagination and creativity. Casanova, whose name is synonymous with “womanizer”, used the café as hunting grounds for females, since the Florian was the only café to admit women in the 18^th century. Casanova claims, and rumor has it, that after escaping prison in the Doge’s Palace, he went to Caffè Florian to get a cup of coffee before fleeing to Paris. Gaspare Gozzi, a Venetian critic and dramatist, chose the café as one of the few places where Italy’s first newspaper could be purchased, the La Gazzetta Veneta. At the end of the 19^th century, Riccardo Selvatico, a poet and mayor of Venice, would meet in the Senate Room to discuss the idea of organizing a biennial art exhibition as a homage to the current King and Queen of Italy. This art exhibition, which is now the Venice Biennale, first took place in 1895. For the exhibition in 2003, Irene Andessner added Le Donne Illustri (The Illustrious Women), ten portraits of notable women of Venice, to the Hall of the Illustrious Men inside the café. In addition, the cozy rooms welcomed such personalities as Lord Byron and Charles Dickens, among others.

The café was a crossroads of changing moods and news, from state affairs to local gossip and chat about the latest fashion. French, and then Austrian, rule overthrow were discussed inside the café, as well as the ideas of freedom and independence. It even remained open in times of war, continuing to serve as the ideal setting for light meals, refreshments, and meeting friends.

Today between April and October, customers can enjoy a string quartet playing classical music, pop, and extracts from operas outside for a cover charge. The orchestra sometimes battles with the orchestras of other cafes across Saint Mark’s Square in a back and forth manner. Up to 75 people are employed by the Florian during the summer to accommodate the flocks of tourists experience this historical and influential piece of Venetian history.

As its history suggests, this slice of Venice was important to the development of Venice because it provided Venetians with a place to share ideas and communicate openly about anything. This form of communication, similar to that of the Internet today, greatly facilitated the progression of society to achieve more quickly. The microcosm of Caffè Florian reflects the fact that Venice was a trade center at one time between Western Europe and the rest of the world. Instead of trading goods, patrons of Florian trade ideas, news, and gossip.

The gilded walls and silver plates inside the Caffè Florian reveal Venice’s wealth and value in attracting visitors to the city with materials exhibiting wealth. Although it has undergone renovations over the years as new owners became in charge of the café, Florian’s history has survived over the years and hasn’t experienced much change relative to other slices of the city.

What does this all mean? That Italy’s oldest café was much more than a place to drink coffee; Florian changed the way Venetians could communicate on art, culture, politics, and entertainment.

Sources:

"Caffe Florian." Florian. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. <http://www.caffeflorian.com/>.

"Venice Historical Cafè & Restaurants." Venezia.net: The Number One Internet Site for Venice. N.p., 2011. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. <http://en.venezia.net/venice-cafe-historical-places.html>.

Andessner, Irene. "Donne Illustri, 2003." Irene Andessner. I Am Productions. Ed. Daniela G. Vedaldi. N.p., 2003. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. <http://www.andessner.com/works.php?id=9&hl=9&lang=en>.

"Caffe Florian Venice - the Oldest Cafe of Venice and Italy." Caffe Florian Venice. Mediterranean Cruise Ports Easy, 2014. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. <http://www.mediterranean-cruise-ports-easy.com/caffe-florian-venice.html>.